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A 30-year-old Nigerian man in connection with an e-mail scam valued at US$26 million was convicted of attempt obtaining property by deception and possession of false travel document and was sentenced to four years' imprisonment at District Court today (March 16).

The court heard that in late March 2004 e-mails were spammed to a large number of recipients telling them that after the death of an African official, a US$26 million fund left unattended was in Hong Kong pending the transfer via a Hong Kong bank account to a foreign bank account.

One of the recipients reported the case to the Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) on April 29, 2004. Arrangements were then made to hold a meeting in a hotel room in Wan Chai on May 14, 2004 between the swindler and two CCB officers with one of them posing as an recipient who had been maintaining contact with the swindler.

After the swindler expressed that the fund would be ready for transfer later provided that the officers let him use their bank account and urged the officers to pay an administration fee of US$24,000, the swindler was arrested at the meeting.

A subsequent search on the man's accommodation in Yuen Long uncovered two faked passports and three forged rubber stamps.

The man was charged on May 15, 2004 and appeared for trial at the District Court.

The defendant was today convicted to four years of imprisonment for attempt obtaining property by deception and 18 months of imprisonment for possession of false travel document. Both sentences are to be served concurrently.

A Police spokesman said this was the first "Nigerian e-mail fraud" case being tried in Hong Kong court.

He further reminded the public to be cautions of all possible fraudulent e-mails and said that Police will continue to mount intelligence-led operation to tackle such crime.

Police Report No.10

Ends/Wednesday, March 16, 2005

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